Method and apparatus for a receiver/decoder

• US 20050144646A1
• Filed: 08/21/2002
• Published: 06/30/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canal + Technologies Societe Anonyme, Thomson Licensing SA (Vantiva SA)
• Original Assignee: Canal + Technologies Societe Anonyme
• Inventors: Maillard, Michael, Lecrom, Francois
• Granted Patent: US 7,984,478 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/100
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/20 Disc-shaped record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/005 Reproducing at a different information rate from the information rate of recording for television signals H04N5/783
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/329 on a disc [VTOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/42 characterised by implementation details or hardware specially adapted for video compression or decompression, e.g. dedicated software implementation H04N19/635 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 in combination with predictive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4263 involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/434 Disassembling of a multiplex stream, e.g. demultiplexing audio and video streams, extraction of additional data from a video stream; Remultiplexing of multiplex streams; Extraction or processing of SI; Disassembling of packetised elementary stream demultiplexing of data packets for data networks, e.g. RTP/UDP H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4431 characterized by the use of Application Program Interface [API] libraries
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4437 Implementing a Virtual Machine [VM] virtual machines in general G06F9/45533
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/445 : for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 : Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 : on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/783 : Adaptations for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 : Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/1675 : Providing digital key or authorisation information for generation or regeneration of the scrambling sequence pseudo-random number generators in general G06F7/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 : involving data reduction

Abstract

A method and apparatus relating to a receiver/decoder in a digital television environment, including logical devices (including logical demultiplexer devices) for representing physical and other devices in the receiver/decoder. The method includes the instantiation of devices by the receiver/decoder as required to support functionality thereof. The method further includes the use of multiple demultiplexers/remultiplexers, for example in the recording of more than one service simultaneously; and a control word device for the management of control word operations; the use of two or more tuners. Various elements of a digital television system (such as a receiver/decoder and a set top box) are also disclosed.

Claims

1-148. -148. (canceled)

149. A logical device for a receiver/decoder, preferably excluding a software device which corresponds to a single hardware device.

150. A logical device according to claim 149, comprising means for binding the logical device to a further device.

151. A logical device according to claim 150, wherein the binding means is adapted to bind the logical device to a plurality of further devices.

152. A logical device according to claim 150, wherein the binding means is adapted to bind the logical device to a software device.

153. A logical device according to claim 150, adapted to manage a demultiplexing operation.

154. A logical device according to claim 153, comprising means for restricting functionality offered by the device.

155. A logical device according to claim 154, adapted to support playback of a bitstream.

156. A logical device according to claim 155, wherein the binding means is adapted to bind the logical device to a device capable of demultiplexing operations.

157. A logical device according to claim 156, wherein the binding means is adapted to bind the logical device to a device capable of performing filtering operations.

158. A logical device according to claim 154, adapted to support recording of a bitstream.

159. A logical device according to claim 158, wherein the binding means is adapted to bind the logical device to a device capable of performing filtering operations.

160. A logical device according to claim 158, wherein the binding means is adapted to bind the logical device to a device capable of performing multiplexing operations.

161. Apparatus for a receiver/decoder comprising a first device and a second device, the first and second devices being coupled to a common physical port.

162. Apparatus according to claim 161, wherein each first and second device comprises a logical device having means for binding to a further device.

163. Apparatus according to claim 161, wherein the first and second devices each provide an interface to the port.

164. Apparatus according to claim 163, comprising a device manager.

175. A receiver/decoder comprising an apparatus as claimed in claim 161.

165. Apparatus for a receiver/decoder, comprising a device manager and a plurality of devices.

166. Apparatus according to claim 165, wherein at least one of the devices comprises a logical device having means for binding to a further device.

167. Apparatus according to claim 165, wherein the device manager is adapted to manage communication channels between at least one driver and at least one application.

168. Apparatus according to claim 165, wherein the device manager manages communication between at least one application and the devices.

169. Apparatus according to claim 168, wherein the device manager is adapted to receive a request from an application to access one of the devices.

170. Apparatus according to claim 169, wherein the device manager is adapted to allocate a client number to an application in response to such a request.

171. Apparatus according to claim 169, wherein the device manager is adapted to maintain a record of allocated client numbers.

172. Apparatus according to claim 171, wherein the device manager is adapted to remove an entry from the record in response to an indication received from an application to which a client number has been allocated that the application no longer requires access to the device.

173. Apparatus according to any of claims 169, wherein the device manager maintains a respective event queue for each of the devices.

174. Apparatus according to claim 173, wherein the device manager is adapted to receive an instruction from an application intended for a particular device, and to insert an event in the event queue of that particular device.